Barneys’ Bitter End: Longtime Employees Speak of What’s Next and What Will Be Missed

Barney New York’s post-mortem has been pain-inducing for many. Sentimental shoppers agonized about the news, vendors cursed the lost business and would-be investors speculated about what could have been. Amidst the financial analysis and remember-when memories, a quieter crowd — longtime and more-recent Barneys employees may wince about their future, but still show up to work each day. “I don’t want to say this, but, ‘My ship is sinking and I’m sinking with it,’” was how one sales associate explained why she wanted to stay through the Madison Avenue store’s closing. She, like several others interviewed Monday, had started at the Upper East Side outpost when it opened. Bailing now was not even under consideration, despite the fact that those who have chosen to stay on have not been informed when the final day will be and if they will be granted any severance pay. A pre-Christmas retail crisis is a common theme for Hallmark Channel holiday movies. While viewers can’t seem to get enough of the made-for-TV version with an estimated 2.9 million people tuning in, veteran workers at Barneys indicated that living through this fall’s debacle has been emotional for many. By their estimates, 70 to 80 percent of the

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